Case against ex-corporator Gwalvanshi, one other over Durga idol, banner row in Nagpur

A dispute has broken out over the installation of a Durga idol and the putting up of a banner in Jagdish Nagar, under the Gittikhadan police station limits in Nagpur. Gittikhadan police have registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against former corporator Harish Mohan Gwalvanshi and Roshan Baban Yadav. The action follows a complaint.

The complainant has alleged that an objection was raised to the banner during preparations for a religious event, and that he was abused. It is also alleged that a cloth banner was torn and that he was threatened that a jagran programme proposed for October 12 would not be allowed to take place. The matter is being discussed in the area.

It must be made clear that the registration of a case with the police is not the same as the allegations being proved. The actual circumstances of the incident, the reason for the dispute and how true the allegations in the complaint are will be known only after the police investigation.

The complaint was lodged at the Gittikhadan police station by Veerbahadur Singh Thakur (40), a resident of Jagdish Nagar. According to him, he installs a Durga idol in his society every year as per religious tradition. This year too, he had made preparations for the installation and the related religious programmes.

It is alleged that at around 3 pm on October 8, former corporator Harish Mohan Gwalvanshi and Roshan Baban Yadav arrived there. According to the complaint, both objected to the installation of the idol and the putting up of the banner. An argument began over this, which allegedly turned into a dispute.

The complainant alleges that he was abused during this and that the cloth banner put up there was torn. It has also been alleged that he was threatened that the October 12 jagran programme would not be allowed to take place. The complainant then approached the police.

According to the police, a case was registered on the night of October 11 on the basis of the complaint under sections 296, 351(2), 324(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The police are now looking into the allegations made in the complaint and the circumstances related to them.

Recording the statement of the other side along with that of the complainant, and examining the available evidence, will be important in the investigation. What the real reason for the dispute was, whether there was any prior permission or objection regarding the banner, and what happened at the time of the incident can be confirmed only after the investigation. Evidence such as CCTV footage or eyewitnesses could also help, but their existence has not been independently confirmed so far.

Under what circumstances the alleged threat was made, who else was present there and whether there was an earlier dispute between the two sides will also be examined. Mention is also being made of earlier cases against Gwalvanshi, but details of those cases, such as FIR numbers, police stations, sections and their present legal status, are not available.

Whether any arrest has been made in the case, whether the accused have been produced in court and what has emerged in the investigation so far cannot be confirmed from the available information. For now, a case has been registered and the investigation is on.